Online distance learning is impersonal and has the potential to violate personal privacy. Even a matter as seemingly straightforward as turning on web cameras can raise difficult questions: Are cameras needed to humanize the lesson? Do they force an uninvited intimacy, revealing the realities of students’ and faculty members’ living situations?
Important ruminations for instructors at urban public universities who are moving to online teaching. (Not specific to FL teaching per se, but it's well worth our bearing some of these caveats in mind....)
OK, this is going to be really useful if you've got a smart phone or tablet with a camera!! Snap and you've got a PDF - of a multi-page article, a receipt, a sketch on a napkin, business cards, etc.
Better yet - register for the full app with a .edu email - and it's free!
I think this is a great idea for using virtual reality in the classroom and can be adapted for any language.
The team will expand upon the initial pilot by hiring five Parisians from different neighborhoods to document and share their lives with a VR camera over the course of one to two months.
I'm trying to figure out how to do this for my own classroom; I wonder if one day we could develop an exchange where we work with partners in other countries to gather video for each other for these types of projects.
Awardees hypothesize that virtual reality will allow language learners to have perceptual, empathetic, and culturally immersive experiences in multiple sensory modalities (visual, auditory, tactile, etc.) that will enhance their vision, perceived value of language and culture learning, and willingness to communicate.
When designing your course, ask yourself: What do I want students to get out of the class? Are videos essential or even helpful to the learning objectives of your course? Can I do it some other way?
Thanks for sharing this, Greg!
I've noticed that trying to share 20+ video feeds doesn't seem to lead to anything productive, and has a tendency to cause connectivity issues on my end.
For my upcoming virtual class meetings, I I'll ask students to check in on video/audio when they join, and then mute themselves for the first bit of class. I'll then shift them into small breakout groups as soon as practical, where they can complete activities with cameras and mics on.
I definitely understand zoom fatigue from experience. This gives me some thoughts to contemplate to approach this differently. I am considering an exit question each student must answer...